Month: April 2013

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against meto devour[a] me,it is my enemies and my foeswho will stumble and fall.3 Though an army besiege me,my heart will not fear;though war break out against me,even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the Lord,this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the Lordand to seek him in his temple.5 For in the day of troublehe will keep me safe in his dwelling;he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tentand set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exaltedabove the enemies who surround me;at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;be merciful to me and answer me.8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”Your face, Lord, I will seek.9 Do not hide your face from me,do not turn your servant away in anger;you have been my helper.Do not reject me or forsake me,God my Savior.10 Though my father and mother forsake me,the Lord will receive me.11 Teach me your way, Lord;lead me in a straight pathbecause of my oppressors.12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,for false witnesses rise up against me,spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lordin the land of the living.14 Wait for the Lord;be strong and take heartand wait for the Lord.

Although decades of missionization, colonial administration, and modernization have gradually led to the abandonment of Kalinga batok (tattoo), enduring fragments of this rich tradition of body art continue to be worn by Kalinga elders: including the last generation of headhunting warriors whose numbers have perhaps dwindled to some thirty men. These World War II veterans who bravely fought Japanese machine gunners with spears, shields, and axes incited great fear in their Nipponese enemies; because once captured their heads would be taken and their bodies left to decompose in the moist air of the mountainous jungle terrain.

One of the last Kalinga warriors (mingor) to wear the traditional tattoos of his ancestors is 88-year-old Lakay Miguel (Lakay means “respected elder”). Miguel earned his marks for inter-village combat before WWII and for the heads he took during the great conflict. Because he killed or wounded more than two enemies he was permitted to receive the bikking tattoos on his chest which are the headhunter’s primary emblem. But Miguel’s bravery on the battlefield was unsurpassed and he was also allowed to receive the tattooed khaman or head-ax on his rib cage, markings on his back, and tattoos on his arms. The human anthropomorph tattooed beneath his khaman symbolizes his Japanese victims and also denote that he is a warrior of the highest rank. He also wears a faded cruciform between his eyes, three marks on his Adam’s apple as a preventive therapy against goiter, and small tally marks behind the ear that represent his number of enemy engagements.

Miguel is a WWII veteran who earned most of his tattoos combating Japanese forces. He is worried that future generations of Kalinga youth will perhaps forget what the tattooing culture of his people represents once he’s gone. “First the missionaries came, then the school teachers and then people in the towns began discriminating against those men and women who wore tattoos. Now we have no more tattooists and our custom of tattooing will disappear when my generation dies.”

Miguel confided to me that one of his fondest memories was when he took the mandible of a Japanese enemy and began using it as the handle of his gangsa gong; a traditional custom of the Kalinga people. Today, gangsa gongs with human jawbone handles are considered priceless heirlooms and are only used during very special occasions.

Never looking at a gangsa the same way ever again. Goddamn shit. Igorots don’t play.